Dose of Hope: Blessed

I’m not going to wax poetic on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, because others do that better than me. But I love what His words show us about God’s definition of blessed.

Blessed are those who depend on Him for everything, because they can’t make it on their own; blessed are those who mourn, who are humble, who want to obey Him more than anything else. Blessed are those who are merciful and have pure hearts. Those who are treated badly for doing what’s right. The ones who are insulted, mistreated, and persecuted.

Very few of those feel like blessings on the surface. Sometimes they just feel hard.

If we look further in Scripture, we see God doing the same thing over and over again. We see His Word weaving a common thread. God gives good gifts. He loves to bless us. But our blessings extend deeper than our material things and our comfort. Ultimately, God says the most blessed among us are the ones who know they need Him and who cling to Him for dear life.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus took the scum of the earth – the ones important people of His day said didn’t matter – and He called them the salt of the earth.

He said they were blessed.

He seemed to seek them out. The Samaritan woman with 5 ex-husbands, the sick and the disabled, the poor, the messed up, the ones who lost their way, and the ones who we’re pushed away by the spiritually or materially elite. And He loved them as only God can. He gave them new life.

They were the ones desperate for a Savior. The ones who wouldn’t turn down His invitation. They were the ones who would understand His gift of grace when it was given and the ones who would want to make sure everyone else had a chance at it, too.

The ones willing to shout from the rooftops, “Hey, did you hear that? God loves us. Jesus died for us. And now we can be with Him forever, and so can you!”

The Parable of the Great Banquet

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’” – Luke 14:15-24 (NIV)

I love how when God chooses to call us names, they’re names that build us up and fill us with hope. They’re not just empty promises, they’re assurances of what’s ahead. Blessed are those who seek Him, love Him, and hold into Him, even when the world is unfair. They will see the kingdom of heaven, be comforted, find peace, spend their days in the presence of Jesus.

He sees our situations, our good days and our bad, He walks through them with us even when it’s hard, and He calls us blessed.

Linking up with Jack of All Trades at Harvest of Blessing